The zeal
of the penitents stopped at nothing. The so-called Brotherhood of
the Cross, otherwise known as the Order of Flagellants, which had
arisen in the thirteenth century, but was suppressed by the
mandates and strenuous efforts of the Church, was revived during
the plague, and numbers of these advocates of self-chastisement
roamed through the various countries on their great pilgrimages.
Their power increased to such an extent that the Church was in
considerable danger, for these religious enthusiasts gained more
credit among the people, and operated more strongly on their
minds than the priests from whom they so entirely withdrew that
they even absolved each other. Their strength grew with such
rapidity, and their numbers increased to such an extent daily,
that the State and the Church were forced to combine for their
suppression. Degeneracy, however, soon crept in, crimes were
committed, and they went beyond their strength in attempting the
performance of miracles. One of the most fearful consequences of
this frenzy was the persecution of the Jews. This alien race was
given up to the merciless fury and cruelty of the populace. The
persecution of the Jews commenced in September and October, 1348,
at Chillon on Lake Geneva, where criminal proceedings were
instituted against them on the mythic charge of poisoning the
public wells.
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